A workshop at the Windhoek Correctional Facility was gutted by fire on Monday, destroying machines and finished materials. 

According to spokesperson Salmi Hangula, the incident occurred at approximately 19h15.

“The fire started at the carpentry division and spread to the upholstery storeroom. Correctional officers and the firefighters from the Windhoek Fire Brigade extinguished the fire,” she said.

She explained that the fire destroyed materials, machinery and finished products in the two rooms that were affected.

“The cause of the fire was not yet determined, however, it is suspected that it may have been caused by an electrical short circuit. The Windhoek Fire Brigade will assist to determine the cause and the extent of the damage,” she explained yesterday.

Hangula added that only after an assessment, the facility will be able to know what was damaged, lost and what was recovered.

“As we speak, we are busy assessing the damage as officials are still at the site. The rooms destroyed were used for training offenders and also storing other materials brought by clients for repair or services. But we are not there yet. We are still sorting out the lost items from the ones recovered.” 

She said the workshop is used to train offenders to acquire skills while undergoing rehabilitation. 

- ljason@nepc.com.na